Premier League clubs have always shown no shortage of interest in talent from South America, but the English club have always seen the top talent like Neymar join clubs either in Spain or Italy. It is because of the easier work permit regulations in this part of the European Union. Now with England going out of the EU, the Premier League clubs are waiting to see if signing young foreign stars becomes any easier. The scouting of young talent never stops and it has led to Arsenal spotting Santos striker at a much faster pace than the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Santos forward Yuri is described as the latest sensation to come from the club, which has just produced Neymar. Neymar is regarded as the next Pele and he has certainly lived up to the reputation so far by joining one of the biggest clubs in the world – Barcelona. He still has a long way to go before even coming close to the achievements of the Brazil legend. However, he has had the best possible education while coming up in his career, as Santos have regularly produced some great quality strikers. Robinho is one of the instantly recognizable names who made it big prior to Neymar.
According to the Sun, Manchester United face stiff competition from Arsenal and Manchester City in the race for the striker. Playing for the U15, the striker has scored a remarkable 40 goals in just 28 games so far. Of course, it is not a good standard by which a player’s talent can be adjudged. Over the years, there have been numerous examples of players performing well in the youth teams before being found out when it comes to the senior team. A major reason behind this trend is the discrepancies with regard to age, which results in a player being more matured and physically better than the youth team he represents.
Yuri’s agent, Giovanni Galvao, confirmed the interest from English clubs. He said:
“Yuri is now seen as one of the best strikers in the youth categories of Brazil, and this is why he’s drawn the attention of the best clubs in the world.
“But we do not think, for now, about any change.”
Still, Arsenal and Manchester United are thought to be actively pursuing the player as he seems to be the real deal from initial impressions. Santos received a substantial figure of €24 million during the sale of Robinho, but they were much relaxed when selling Neymar. It is believed that the club received a sum of €80 million in the sale of the striker. Hence, it is highly unlikely that they will sell Yuri on a cheap.
As he has already begun featuring for the Brazil under 17 team, it may not be long before he represents the U19 and U21 teams. Moving to United at this stage in his career, though, may scupper his chances of continuing his progression in the best possible way.
